With the time I took off for Thanksgiving this week I was inspired to write, read, play and make food! Being wrapped up in other fun activities the past couple of months I’ve completely forgotten how much fun it is to make my delicious desserts. My favorite part about making desserts is sticking my fingers into everything during the process and then sharing the finished product with everyone.

For Thanksgiving I made two desserts. I totally winged a creamy pumpkin spiced ice cream using raw cream and coconut oil as the main sources of fat. The raw cream came from 100% grass fed and free ranged cows making it a healthier choice than store bought factory farmed pasteurized milk. Plus it makes the ice cream exquisitely creamy. Coconut oil contains precursors for hormones, it supports the thyroid, it’s light on the liver and a fantastic antimicrobial! I also like to use coconut oil on my skin as a moisturizer. Tom uses it for cooking because it’s a healthier and more stable cooking oil than other oils which are unstable and usually genetically modified. Enough with the nutrition lesson, let’s get to the yummy recipes!

Note: For a vegan recipe one could substitute the raw milk and cream with a combination of extra coconut oil, tocotriennols and hemp mylk. Raw honey can be substituted with your favorite vegan sweetener like coconut palm sugar, agave nectar, extra stevia, etc…

Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cream

Equipment: High speed blender and an ice cream maker. Don’t forget to keep your freezing cylinder in the freezer overnight!

1) Cube pumpkin, place into boiling water and blanch for up to 5 minutes until soft. Strain and place into ice cold water to cool.2) Blend all ingredients, only adding in the raw milk as needed to a smooth creamy finish. If it’s too watery add more coconut oil until creamy – careful not to add too much.3) Cool this creamy pumpkin mixture in the fridge for 2 hours.

4) After the mixture has cooled for a couple of hours pour it into the frozen freezing cylinder of your ice cream maker and churn baby churn until a creamy consistency ~ 30 – 40 minutes.

1) Pulse the almonds in a food processor until evenly ground but don’t make almond butter!2) Add dates and process into a dough like consistency.3) Press the dough mixture into your coconut oil greased 8 or 9 inch pie plate. Place into the freezer to set while you’re making the filling.

1) Mix the pumpkin and the coconut water in a food processor until a smooth paste finish.2) Add in coconut meat, walnuts and almonds and blend until smooth.3) Add dates, honey, stevia and spices and process until combined.4) Pour the filling on top of the almond pie crust, spread evenly and chill for several hours before serving (optional: dehydrate for several hours at 105 – 115°F before serving).